The Best Books for Essay Writing
Writing essays can be a powerful way to express your thoughts and opinions, explore topics of interest, and even share lessons you’ve learned. There are many different types of essays, from persuasive essays high school students learn to write, to academic essays, to creative nonfiction essays.
This blog post is in by no means a step-by-step guide but rather a stepping stone to better understand essay writing, and maybe some practical advice to help you hone your essay writing skills.
This guide will give an overview of the key elements involved in crafting a successful nonfiction essay and books that will help you better understand the craft of essay writing. Before you get started, it’s important to understand some basics about good essay writing before you can begin to write your great essays.
Essays are typically composed of a series of paragraphs that each contain one or more sentences. The ideas presented in the essay should be logically organized, and the structure of an essay typically follows an introduction-body-conclusion format.
The introduction should provide some context for the content that will follow and introduce any key terms or topics being discussed. Depending on the type of essay you want to write, consider the following:
What goes into a college essay?
When writing an essay for college, there are a few key components that you should include. First for college essay essentials: establish your purpose and main argument.
Explain why this subject is important and how it relates to the greater world around you. Next, provide evidence or reasons to support your argument.
This could be through personal anecdotes, facts, or other types of evidence. Finally, make sure to tie everything together in the conclusion by summarizing your main argument and key points.
A successful college admissions essay often starts with a personal statement. It may be helpful to read sample essays to get a gauge of the writing style before starting to craft your own.
What makes academic essay writing different?
Academic writing differs from other types of essay writing in that it requires a more formal and rigorous structure. Academic essays should follow a specific set of guidelines and include features such as an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a conclusion which summarizes the main points. Additionally, academic essays should be well-researched and include evidence from outside sources to support the argument.
What are creative nonfiction essays?
Creative nonfiction is a genre of writing that combines elements of literary techniques and nonfiction to create factual stories in an imaginative way. It can be used to explore a wide range of subjects such as personal experiences, current events, history, science, culture, and more.
Often, creative nonfiction writing takes the form of memoirs and autobiographies, literary journalism, and narrative essays. Writers of creative nonfiction strive to bring characters to life in vivid detail and tell stories that illuminate a universal truth.
If you’re looking for resources to help you craft your own essays, the following books will be helpful. A good writer becomes an even better writer by reading more and writing more. Reading with a critical, editorial eye, and working through your writing process will help you grow.
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The Best Books for Essay Writing
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
An invaluable guide to writing nonfiction essays, this classic book will show you how to write clearly and powerfully.
The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present by Phillip Lopate
This collection of essays by the most iconic essayists of our time is an essential read for anyone interested in the craft of essay writing.
The Best American Essays series
This acclaimed series showcases some of the best work being published by writers today and is an excellent resource to explore diverse perspectives on various topics.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
An inspiring read for any aspiring writer, this book offers advice and encouragement on how to write with humor, honesty, and sincerity.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.
This classic text is an essential guide for any writer looking to hone their craft. It will become your best friend and help you master essential writing principles such as grammar, syntax, structure, and clarity.
By reading these books and understanding the fundamentals of essay writing, you can develop your skills, find your sense of style when it comes to writing, and express yourself more confidently through nonfiction essays.
If you’re looking for great books of essay collections, these are some of the best:
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
An iconic collection of essays about life in America during the 1960s.
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
A powerful set of essays that explore a wide range of topics from politics to pop culture.
The White Album by Joan Didion
Another classic collection from one of the greats, this book covers topics such as California in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
An incredibly powerful exploration of race, identity, and America’s history of racism.
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
A brilliant collection of essays about gender inequality and the power dynamics between men and women.
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
An exploration of empathy and its role in our lives through personal stories
Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith
A collection of essays that explore a wide range of topics from art and literature to society and politics.
Sightlines: A Conversation with the Natural World by Kathleen Jamie
An exploration of our relationship with nature through personal experiences.
White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad
A powerful collection of essays about racism and its impact on women of color.
Best Food Writing edited by Sohla El-Waylly
A collection of narrative essays that focus on food, cooking, and the culture that surrounds both.
If you don’t have time for whole collections, try reading some of the most famous, prolific essays of all time:
• "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau
• “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
• “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “The Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf
• “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell
• “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
• “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Why I Write” by George Orwell
• “The American Scholar” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf.
• “On Liberty” by John Stuart Mill.
• “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin.
• “The Souls of Black Folk” by W.E.B Du Bois.
• “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin.
• “Feminism is for Everybody” by bell hooks.
The best essay writers will be able to craft prose that moves your readers, to feel something, to think differently, or to want to write themselves.
Start by reading some of the best essay books and essay writers, and keep writing! Remember: The art of writing essays starts with a few simple steps!
Want to read more books on writing? Try On Writing by Stephen King, which is part memoir of his writing life and part manual, and my go-to guide for getting started.
